Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., the House Majority Whip shot last year by a man who was reportedly distraught over President Donald Trump's election, met Monday with the survivors from the Feb. 14 mass shooting at a Florida high school, The Hill reports.
Scalise told TMZ before his flight he was looking forward to the visit.
"I appreciate that they've got a passion," he said. "Obviously they're going through a lot, too, I went through a lot, and I think we can probably share some of that."
Seventeen students and teachers were killed when Nikolas Cruz, 19, opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Scalise, one of five wounded in the June shooting, underwent seven surgeries after being shot in the hip and spent six weeks in the hospital. He had to learn how to walk again, and returned to the House floor in October with the aid of forearm crutches. The shooter, James Hodgkinson, targeted Republican lawmakers practicing for the annual congressional baseball game.
"Whip Scalise met with a group of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students and alumni [Monday] in his office to discuss how we move forward as a country following the tragic shooting Feb. 14," spokeswoman Lauren Fine said in a statement. "As a fellow survivor of a shooting attack, Whip Scalise heard from them about their experiences, shared his own experience with the group, and talked about the healing process in the wake of traumatic events.
"Whip Scalise noted how important his faith, family, friends, and colleagues are in his recovery, and urged the students not to be afraid to ask their community for help and to keep supporting one another," Fine continued. "As they continue coping with the aftermath of the attack, he encouraged members of the Parkland community to never hesitate to reach out to him."
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